In 1959, what's wrong with me pedaling a tricycle?

Wang Xingguo made a round and brought home five jin of eggs. Because many of them were newly laid eggs, the quantity was quite considerable.

Eggs and pork were not unavailable at this time, but priority was given to ensuring that the soldiers had enough to eat.

Many people have a misconception that at this time, only those above should be cared for, while those below should not.

Actually, that's not the case. In the summer of 1958, two events stirred up the situation at the highest levels.

The Soviet Union first proposed a joint venture to build a long-wave radio station, hoping to seize control of communications for ocean-going nuclear submarines. Then it proposed to form a joint submarine fleet, attempting to interfere with my country's maritime defense command.

During their meeting, Khrushchev bluntly stated that nuclear weapons posed a huge risk and that China did not need to expend its national resources to develop them, as the Soviet Union would protect China with its nuclear forces.

These words, ostensibly an alliance offering assistance, are in reality an attempt to pressure and restrict our independent development of nuclear capabilities.

We firmly state that sovereignty is non-negotiable, radio stations must be exclusively Chinese, we will never establish a joint fleet, and we must build our own atomic bomb.

After several rounds of negotiations, the Soviet Union temporarily withdrew its excessive demands, but the seeds of discord between the two countries had already been sown.

Then, the preparation of military and defense materials across the country accelerated, and the logistical routes for transporting materials to the test bases in the west and northwest were suddenly given higher priority.

Therefore, in the face of such an external situation, prioritizing the supply of materials to the troops and ensuring that the troops' combat effectiveness is not affected in the event of an incident has become a key task.

Just like Wang Xingguo's current job, because it is also a high priority, they are given enough compressed biscuits during their escort work so that they won't have to work on an empty stomach.

However, when eating at work, it's perfectly normal to eat cornbread made from mixed grains or vegetables.

Wang Xingguo did not rest until the fifth day. On the morning of the fourth day, his work unit sent someone to summon him back to the unit.

Upon arriving at his workplace, Wang Xingguo was surprised to find that this operation was truly significant!

This time, it was a joint effort between Department 1, Department 3, and Department 4 to complete the task.

The fully enclosed wooden crates were pre-loaded into the vehicles and departed every five hours. Their only responsibility was to escort the goods to the riverbank, and then each crate and each vehicle would travel separately to the town of Malan. It was not allowed for the crates to be opened before reaching Malan town.

The military assigned officers at the regimental level to each of the three teams, who, together with deputy regimental-level officers from their transportation sections, jointly escorted the shipments, supervising each other to ensure no one violated regulations.

This was the first time Wang Xingguo had encountered such a situation, and he was a little flustered.

Could it be one of those radioactive things?

Wang Xingguo drew the order of responsibility, and he drew number two.

If I drew number 1 in three subjects, then number 3 in the remaining subject would naturally be number 3.

The entire staff of the Third Transportation Section assembled and began arranging a team of one staff member and four soldiers.

Because this is an entire train, and each carriage is filled with a large wooden crate.

Wang Xingguo also summoned the staff of the Fourth Transportation Section, including Deputy Section Chief Zhou Jun, all of whom needed to be mobilized this time.

The Fourth Transportation Section also formed a team consisting of one staff member and four soldiers.

Wang Xingguo and Commander Yang patrolled the train together, ensuring that the seals on every box were intact.

The third transportation team set off, and Wang Xingguo took his backpack to be inspected by the staff.

The staff member checked the contents and gave Wang Xingguo a smile.

In fact, they knew that everything Wang Xingguo carried over there was recorded and reported.

The staff responsible for the inspection were all aware of the situation because they had been instructed by their superiors.

Wang Xingguo's behavior wasn't exactly good, but it wasn't particularly illegal either, so we left it alone.

But if it were someone else, they would probably need to investigate thoroughly before allowing them to do so.

Five hours later, Wang Xingguo and Commander Yang began to randomly assign each group to different carriages.

Finally, the two walked through the carriages with the staff to ensure that all the sealing strips were firmly attached. After signing for the goods with the staff, the train started its journey.

Wang Xingguo and his companion found a place to sit down. Actually, patrolling twice a day was enough, since there were people from both sides in one group, so nothing could possibly happen.

Commander Yang asked with a smile, "Section Chief Wang, this is my first time carrying out this kind of mission. I'll need your help with the connection process."

Wang Xingguo handed a cigarette to Commander Yang, and after lighting it, he replied, "Commander Yang, there's no need to worry about that. We have someone specifically assigned to handle things with us. We'll just verify the information in the manual, not the person."

Regiment Commander Yang nodded and said, "That's no different from other missions in our unit; the procedures are all the same."

Both of them adhered to the "five no's and three guarantees" rule, avoiding topics they shouldn't discuss. They were used to this environment and fell asleep sitting in their chairs.

After waking up, the two went on patrol together. Once they confirmed that everything was alright, they found a spot to eat compressed biscuits.

Wang Xingguo gave Commander Yang two tomatoes, but he couldn't bear to give him the dried meat and cured meat. He wouldn't eat the dried meat in his own backpack, but would eat some from his own storage space whenever he had a spare moment.

Because something went wrong this time, the staff weighed everything, so Wang Xingguo decided not to eat that much and to save some to carry to Malan Town.

The cucumbers and tomatoes, however, need to be eaten, because the tomatoes won't last long enough to reach the riverbank in the high temperature; they'll probably rot in three or four days.

Last time, he would secretly put similar things into his backpack when he got to the riverbank, so that he could make it across in a day.

But this time, with Commander Yang by his side, he couldn't do it that way, lest the information not match up.

As he ate, Commander Yang remarked, "Tomatoes are so refreshing in this weather. It's a pity that our area isn't suitable for growing them, otherwise I would love to plant more tomatoes."

Wang Xingguo asked, puzzled, "Commander Yang, tomatoes aren't some difficult vegetable to grow, surely they can be planted?"

Commander Yang explained with a smile, "I can't tell you the specifics, but it's just that it's windy. You can't grow tomatoes in places where it's windy all year round."

Wang Xingguo nodded. If it's windy all year round, then many places fit the description.

He told Regiment Commander Yang, "It's not that you can't grow them, but you can choose a sheltered spot to plant them, or use a mobile planting method. When it's windy, you can move them back indoors, and when it's not windy, you can move them outside to get some sunlight. Although it takes a lot of effort, it's still good training for the troops. Growing some tomatoes and cucumbers can help the soldiers supplement the vitamins they need."

In areas with consistently strong winds and abundant sunshine, constructing indoor greenhouses with multiple windows and roofs using glass could be considered. This would not only maintain a high temperature inside the greenhouse but also protect it from the wind. Of course, this is just a suggestion from someone who isn't actually in the situation, and I can't guarantee whether it will be feasible.

Sure enough, Regiment Commander Yang slapped his thigh and said, "Great idea! I'll look into it when I get back. We can't send tomatoes and cucumbers, which don't keep well, to our area. It would be great if we could solve this problem ourselves."